Background There are two types of different questionnaires in dry eye diagnosis.But the associations about two questionnaires or questionnaire and clinical examination are still unclear.To effectively quantize the symptoms is helpful for a correct diagnosis of dry eye disease.Objective This survey was to evaluate the Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) and Ocular Surface Disease Index(OSDI) questionnaire for the diagnosis of dry eye and investigate the correlation between the clinical examinations and questionnaires. Methods A perspective cohort study was designed.Sixty-six patients were enrolled in this study.This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of Peking University First Hospital,and written informed consent was obtained from each subject before any ocular examination.SPEED-based and OSDI-based questionnaires were used to score the dry eye symptom and grouped according to severity of complains.Corneal fluorescence staining,tear film breakup time(BUT),Schirmer I test and tear film interferometry were performed in all patients.The correlations between two questionnaires scores and their association with clinical examinations were evaluated.Results The negative correlations were found between the SPEED-based score or OSDI-based score with BUT value(r=0.390,P=0.001 ;r=-0.395,P=0.001 ),but no significant correlations were seen between the SPEED-based score or OSDI-based score with Schirmer test( r=-0.081,P=0.515; r=-0.080,P=0.525)and tear film interferometry score(r=0.158,P=0.204;r=0.219,P=0.077).The BUT was significantly prolonged in mild symptom group compared with serious group(t=2.339,P=0.022),but no significant difference was seen in Schirmer Ⅰ test and tear film interferometry scores using SPEED-based questionnaire ( t =0.404,P =0.687 ; t =- 0.947,P =0.347 ) ; while the positive fluorescence staining rate between two groups was significantly different (x2 =0.164,P =0.685 ).When using OSDI-based questionnaire,significant difference in BUT was seen among mild,moderate and serious symptom groups ( F =11.871,P =0.000 ),and BUT in mild symptom group was delayed in comparison with moderat and serious groups( P=0.000,0.000).No significant differences were found in Schirmer Ⅰ test,tear film interferometry scores and fluorescence staining rate among three groups(F=1.432,P =0.246; F =2.799,P =0.068; x2 =6.026,P =0.050).SPEED score showed a positive correlation with OSDI score ( r =0.697,P =0.000 ). Conclusions Both OSDI and SPEED are effective tools for the evaluation of symptoms of dry eye.The two types of questionnaires are consistent in symptoms evaluation.

Untargeted metabolomics analysis of rhubarb and stewed rhubarb samples shows that the determined samples clearly clustered in to two groups, indicating that the processing procedures caused changes in the composition and/or content of components in rhubarb. Ten components were identified by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and references, which intensity declined in rhubarb after processing. Targeted metabolomics analysis of rhubarb and stewed rhubarb samples indicated that aloe-emodin, rhein, emodin and physcion were detected with lower intensity in stewed rhubarb samples than in rhubarb samples. Metabolomics analysis of rhubarb and stewed rhubarb indicated the various components of rhubarb changed after processing.
Anthraquinones ; analysis ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Emodin ; analogs & derivatives ; analysis ; Food Handling ; methods ; Food Preservation ; methods ; Metabolomics ; methods ; Multivariate Analysis ; Principal Component Analysis ; Rheum ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry

AIM: To analyze the effect of pigment epithelium derived factor (PEDF) on nitrogen monoxide (NO) and expression of cysteine-containing, aspartate-specific proteases-3 (caspase-3) in retinal tissues of model rats with optic nerve crush injury.METHODS: A total of 60 SD rats were randomly divided into the blank control group, model group and PEDF group, with 20 rats in each group.Except the blank control group, the optic nerve crush injury rat models were established in the other groups, and left eyeballs were taken as samples.After successfully modeling, the model group were treated with intravitreal injection of 5μL of balanced salt solution while PEDF group were treated with intravitreal injection of 5μL of PEDF (0.2μg/μL).Two weeks later, the retinal tissues were collected, and changes of shape were observed under microscope after HE staining.The changes of NO level were measured by colorimetry assay, the expression of caspase-3 mRNA and caspase-3 protein was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western-blot.RESULTS: HE staining showed that retinal tissues of the blank control group arranged neatly and clearly.Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) arranged in a monolayer, and cells were oval, uniform in size and distribution, the cell nuclei were clear, closely arranged, with clear boundaries.The retinal tissues of the model group were sparse in shape, RGCs showed vacuolar changes, the overall number of cells was reduced, and cell nuclei of residual RGCs showed pyknosis and uneven staining.RGCs in PEDF group were with slightly edema and arranged closely, and the degree of injury was significantly milder than that in the model group.Levels of Caspase-3 mRNA and protein and NO levels in the three groups showed the model group > PEDF group > blank control group (all P < 0.05).CONCLUSION: The application of PEDF can down regulate the expression of Caspase-3 and NO in rates with optic nerve injury and reduce RGCs injury.

Flavonoids are natural products that are ubiquitous in the natural world, with wide physiological activities and low toxic and side effects. In recent years, their anti-tumor effect has caused widespread concern and studies. According to the findings, flavonoids have prominent effects in preventing and treating lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, liver cancer, leukemia, ovarian cancer, gastric cancer and so on. Their anti-tumor mechanisms mainly include anti-oxidation, anti-free radical, induction of apoptosis of cancer cells, impact on cell cycle, immune regulation, inhibition of tumor angiogenesis, inhibition of COX-2, inhibition of telomerase activity and so on. This article focuses on the advance in domestic and foreign studies on anti-cancer activity and mechanism of flavonoids, in order to provide theoretical basis and research ideas for the further development and clinical application of flavonoids.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; drug effects ; Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Flavonoids ; pharmacology ; Humans

Clove oil and turmeric oil were absorbed by mesoporous carbon. The absorption ratio of mesoporous carbon to volatile oil was optimized with the eugenol yield and curcumol yield as criteria Curing powder was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorietry (DSC). The effects of mesoporous carbon on dissolution in vitro and thermal stability of active components were studied. They reached high adsorption rate when the absorption ratio of mesoporous carbon to volatile oil was 1:1. When volatile oil was absorbed, dissolution rate of active components had a little improvement and their thermal stability improved after volatile oil was absorbed by the loss rate decreasing more than 50%. Absorbing herbal volatile oil with mesoporous carbon deserves further studying.
Adsorption ; Carbon ; chemistry ; Drug Stability ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; methods ; Oils, Volatile ; chemistry ; Sesquiterpenes ; chemistry

Objective:To investigate the relationship between serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), peripheral blood microRNA-126 (miR-126) and the number and distribution of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs).Methods:Consecutive patients with non-acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease admitted to the Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College from June 2019 to June 2020 were enrolled. The clinical data were collected, 3.0 T MRI examination was performed, and susceptibility-weighted imaging was used to detect CMBs. The serum VEGF concentration was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and miR-126 was detected by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent influencing factors of CMBs. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the correlation between serum VEGF concentration, miR-126 in peripheral blood and the number of CBMs. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of serum VEGF concentration and relative expression of miR-126 in peripheral blood for CMBs. Results:A total of 193 patients with non-acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease were enrolled, including 110 patients (57.0%) in the non-CMBs group, 20 (10.4%) in the strictly lobar CMBs group and 63 patients (32.6%) in non-strictly lobar CMBs group. The comparison among the three groups showed that age might be a risk factor for strictly lobar CMBs, while higher VEGF, higher cystatin C level, lower relative expression of miR-126 in peripheral blood, hypertension and previous stroke or transient ischemic attack might be the risk factors for non-strictly lobar CMBs. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher serum VEGF concentration was an independent risk factor for non-strictly lobar CMBs (odds ratio 1.186, 95% confidence interval 1.035-1.358; P=0.014), while the higher relative expression of miR-126 was an independent protective factor for non-strictly lobar CMBs (odds ratio 0.154, 95% confidence interval 0-0.269; P=0.026). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that higher serum VEGF concentration ( r=0.848, P<0.001) and the lower relative expression of miR-126 ( r=-0.043, P=0.035) significantly increased the number of CMBs. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of serum VEGF for predicting non-strictly lobar CMBs was 0.803 (95% confidence interval 0.741-0.865), the optimal cut-off value was 120.55 ng/L, the sensitivity was 70.7%, and the specificity was 75.5%. Conclusions:In patients with non-acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease, there is a significant correlation between serum VEGF concentration and the relative expression of miR-126 in peripheral blood and the number and distribution of CMBs. Serum VEGF can be used as a biomarker for predicting the presence of non-strictly lobar CMBs.

A new hasubanan alkaloid, hernsubanine E (1), as well as two known compounds p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (2) and (-)-syringaresinol (3) have been isolated from the whole plants of Stephania hernandifolia by various column chromatographic methods. Their structures were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral analyses. Compounds 2 and 3 were isolated from the genus of Stephania for the first time.
Alkaloids ; chemistry ; Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Stephania ; chemistry

OBJECTIVE Alcohol is mainly metabolized through liver and excreted by kidney in the body. Kidney damage has been considered as the secondary to liver injury and kidney dysfunction is common in hospitalized patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis. Both acute and chronic alcoholism accumulation can compromise kidney function, although alcoholic kidney disease has drawn much more attention recently,the methodology for establishing the in vivo and in vitro alcoholic renal fibrosis models are still lacking,and the underlying mechanisms are to be determined. METHODS and RESULTS Mice were feed with a liquid diet containing alcohol for 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks respectively, results of Masson′s Trichrome staining showed that kidney fibrosis peaked in 8-week model group, which consistent with the results of albumin assay,Western blot,immunostaining and real-time PCR of collagen I and α-SMA.In vitro study also confirmed that ethanol upregulated the level of fibrotic index-es,including collagen I and α-SMA,in tubular epithelial cells(HK2 cells).Additionally,both in vivo and in vitro studies showed that Smad7 was decreased and Smad3 was highly activated. Then we further detected the underlying mechanisms by which alcohol induced the imbalance of Smad7 and Smad3. Results of Genome-wide methylation sequencing found DNA methylation of Smad7 in the alcoholic fibrosis kidney,which may be mainly mediated by DNA methyltransferase 1(DNMT1),because knock-down of DNMT1,but not DNMT2 and 3,largely restored Smad7 level in ethanol-treated HK2 cells.Con-sequently, we found that NADPH Oxidases (nox)-mediated oxidative stress is the major force upregu-lating DNMT1,since knockdown of Nox2 and 4 could both decrease DNMT1 while rebalancing Smad7/Smad3 axis, and thereby relieved ethanol-induced fibrotic response in HK2 cells. More importantly, intraperitoneal injection of apocynin,an inhibitor of NADPH oxidoreductase,attenuated renal fibrosis in alcoholic kidney fibrosis mouse model. CONCLUSION By establishing the novel in vivo and in vitro models,we found that through activating oxidative stress-induced DNA methylation of Smad7,alcohol induces renal fibrosis by breaking the balance between Smad7 and Smad3.Elimination of Nox-mediated oxidative stress may be a potential therapy for treatment of long-term alcohol abuse-induced kidney fibrosis.

Abstract: Objective　To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of 151 cases of melioidosis and the drug resistance of Burkholderia pseudomallei (BP), in order to provide the basis for diagnosis, treatment and reasonable prevention of melioidosis. Methods　A total of 151 inpatients and outpatients from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University from January 1, 2013 to August 31, 2022 were collected, and clinical specimens were submitted for examination to isolate and identify BP strains. The clinical data of 151cases of melioidosis and the drug resistance characteristics of pathogenic bacteria were retrospectively analyzed, and using SPSS26.0 software for statistical analysis. Results　Among 151 cases with BP infection, there were 138 males (91.4%) and 13 females (8.6%); the most patients were aged from 45-<60 years old, accounting for 74 cases (49.0%); melioidosis incidence was concentrated in October (19.2%), November (19.2%), August (9.9%) and July (8.6%), and; the number of confirmed cases showed an increasing trend and the time for confirmation was <10 d; Internal medicine system (31.1%), surgery system (26.5%) and intensive care department (20.5%) were the common departments for treating melioidosis; blood (49.0%), sputum (9.9%) and wound secretion (8.6%) were the main clinical specimens for detecting BP; pulmonary infection (68.2%), sepsis (35.1%) and local suppurative infection (23.8%) were the top clinical manifestations in patients with BP infection; the effective rate of treating melioidosis was 74.8%; abnormal liver function was a risk factor for the curative effect of melioidosis (χ2=5.010, P<0.05); the sensitivity rates of BP strains to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (SXT), doxycycline (DOX), imipenem(IPM), ceftazidime (CAZ), amoxicillin/clavulanate (AMC) and tetracycline (TCY) were generally more than 90%, with sensitivities of 98.7%, 97.2%, 96.7%, 94.0%, 93.2% and 90.7%, respectively. Conclusions　It can be concluded that misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis of melioidosis is easy to occur, and the understanding of the epidemiological characteristics and risk factors in this area should be strengthened. The sensitivity of BP to commonly used antibiotics has shown a certain downward trend, clinical use should be standardized, and drug resistance monitoring should be strengthened to improve the efficacy of melioidosis treatment.

Multiple myeloma is a clonal proliferation of plasma cells with multiple osteolytic lesions. Extramedullary dissemination of multiple myeloma in ovary is relatively uncommon. A 54-year-old female patient, diagnosed as multiple myeloma three years ago, was admitted to the hospital for the complaints of intermittent abdominal pain for three days. The vaginal gynecological ultrasound showed celiac solid mass. The emergent laparotomy showed a significantly enlarged right cystic ovary and the pathological reviews showed ovarian plasmacytoma. The final diagnosis of this patient was ovarian extramedullary plasmacytoma rupture and bleeding.
Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Myeloma ; diagnosis ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; Plasmacytoma ; diagnosis